Short narrative games with nice art
I went to the restroom without my phone and immediately had a fun thought I wanted to write about. I realized that a lot of the video games that I enjoy are short narrative games with nice art. In order of importance, I would put them: nice art > short > narrative. Interestingly, I also like games on the other end of the length spectrum, games that act like their own living worlds that last ostensibly forever. I also like games that allow player expression and creativity. Let's see how the games I really like fall into these categories.
- Portal (Short, Narrative, Nice Art)
- Tomodachi Life (Infinite, Player Freedom, Nice Art)
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf/New Horizons (Infinite, Player Freedom, Nice Art)
- Pathogenic (Short, Player Freedom, Nice Art)
- Legend of Zelda BOTW/TOTK (Infinite, Player Freedom, Nice Art)
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Narrative, Nice Art)
- Attack of the Friday Monsters (Short, Narrative, Nice Art)
- Rhythm Tengoku/Rhythm Heaven Groove (Short, Nice Art)
- Celeste (Short, Narrative, Nice Art)
Another category of games that I tend to enjoy are those that allow me to socialize with my friends:
- Animal Crossing
- Tomodachi Life
- Minecraft
- Rhythm Heaven
- Grounded
- It Takes Two/Splitfiction
- Root Bear
- Team Fortress 2
Using the Bartle taxonomy of player types as a lens, I can see elements of the Explorer and Socializer most strongly in my preferences, while the Killer and especially the Achiever, in their satisfaction from excellence, are much less relatable to me personally. I like to enjoy games as art, from the aesthetic beauty of fancy lighting and tasteful art direction to the emotional aspect of intentional storytelling. And sometimes I like to escape to another world as a place for play and creativity.
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